But said mission was quite the big ambitious one to say the least! And there’s undeniably limitations to what one small, independent boutique can achieve. What’s more, at the time it was clear the vast majority of society didn’t want to talk about ageism and ageing – unless through a negative lens. It wasn’t topical, and it wasn’t cool. And therein lay the problem. Because in order to change the narrative, you have to first talk about the existing narrative, and bring the conversation to the masses.
So to further my values and mission, I launched Ageism Is Never In Style in the summer of 2016, as a sister brand to The Bias Cut, with the aim of being a global platform and safe space that unites people globally to inspire one another, to spark discussion and debate, and to inform, educate and transform attitudes.
From day 1 Ageism Is Never In Style (AINIS) has been at the forefront of this movement, and over the past 8 years it has grown in ways I could have only have dreamt of. From creating our own original and viral social media campaigns such as #ILookMyAge and ‘Strike Out Ageism’; to brands and businesses seeking our consultancy, expertise and insight; to organisations partnering with us to create campaigns and projects; to our community growing to over 200K… Making AINIS what it is today: the award-winning leading consultancy, campaign and community on ageism, age inclusivity and age positivity.
And, as such, it has increasingly become clear that Ageism Is Never In Style is truly where the opportunities to drive positive change around ageing are limitless. And whilst we remain much committed to driving change within fashion; through Ageism Is Never In Style we can – and already are - bringing our expertise, knowledge and insight to different sectors and industries throughout society.
So at the beginning of 2024, The Bias Cut and Ageism Is Never In Style ‘consciously uncoupled’, with Ageism Is Never In Style launching its new independent website, underpinned by its 3 pillars of Consultancy, Campaigns and Community.
But with myself continuing as Founder and CEO of both Ageism Is Never In Style and The Bias Cut, it is with a heavy heart that we have decided to scale back The Bias Cut. It will continue to exist, continuing to sell our trans-seasonal products and reduced items, and as the official retail partner of Ageism is Never In Style. But, for now, SS24 (now on sale) marks its last ‘new season’ collection, and we won’t be restocking or launching a new collection in the autumn.
I want to reiterate, none of what we’ve achieved to date would have been possible with you, our amazing customers. Whether you’ve been with us from day one, or joined us over the past 8 1/2 years, your support, custom and loyalty has kept us going through undoubtedly some of the toughest of times and one of the most challenging fashion retail landscapes.
Every time you’ve chosen to shop with us, you’ve chosen to shop with your values which, in a highly competitive space, we are hugely grateful for and have never taken for granted. Not only did you choose to support a small female-owned business, but you also proved to a sceptical ageist fashion industry that there is indeed a market and need for true age-inclusivity. And we know that as a result of our success and your support, the industry is finally sitting up and taking notice. There’s still a long way to go, but the progress we’ve seen over the past 8 years has been undeniable: we’ve gone from a time when brands were horrified at even the mention of someone over 40 wearing their clothes, to some of the biggest designers in the world proudly featuring older women in campaigns and on the catwalk.
What’s more on a personal level, your messages, your emails, your reviews… they have brought us such joy, motivation and purpose. And it has been such a pleasure and honour getting to know some of you whether that has been through email, phone call or even at one of our pop-ups pre pandemic. I can honestly say still to this very day, if and when anyone asks me what is the most rewarding part of founding The Bias Cut has been, it’s hearing from you how much pleasure, joy and confidence shopping with us and wearing our clothes has brought you.
And of course, it is only through your continued support that Ageism Is Never In Style has even been able to grow and become what it is today.
So on behalf of the team, we really do extend a heartfelt thank you to each and every one of you. And of course this isn’t goodbye – we are still here, you can still shop with us, of course loyalty points, gift vouchers and credit notes are still valid as per our standard Ts & Cs. But for now, this is the end of an era for The Bias Cut, and we hope you will also continue to join us on our journey at Ageism Is Never In Style.
